Kaiora All,
The Tech Masters are a group on Y9 and 10 students who are keen on all matters ICT and are willing to work with teachers and students and pass on their knowledge. They have been invaluable to me in our ICT Professional Learning sessions by working one to one with teachers. They are also used school wide as a type of 'flying squad' called on when problems need solving. One teacher had problems with video editing and file formats and this was sorted in a day by a tech master who was able recommend a suitable software program. We hope to build the numbers next year.
I feel generally that most staff are on the brink on really flying with thinking skills and ict. (Some are already flying) They are realising that well planned units/lessons with integrated activities using thinkings strategies and ict make a real difference to student engagement. We all know the issues and our challenge is to make sure we support staff to continue on the journey.
We are developing WOFs in ICT and Thinking Skills to further support staff skill development - this will be part of our PL programme for next year. We are also developing a student WOF of ICT skills to establish a baseline of student skills at Y9 & 10.
We are part of an E4E cluster (Education for Enterprise - see TKI) about creating and engaging students in authentic learning experiences by developing community and business partnerships. Being part of this has provided some excellent learning opps. Just what the technology curriculum has always sought.
Anne Rolinson
Cherise Stone
Hi there, I haven't created anything and am still exploring the sites etc available and when I'm less overwhelmed I'll make a wikisite for Drama. I am in awe of Lizz's wikispaces.
Chris Lynch
Today is Monday 28th May and am at Epsom getting a better understanding of developing ICT in the classroom
TERM 4 - Thursday 22nd November.
I have been asked to write a reflection on the year in relation to my involvement with the development of ICT and thinking skills at Aorere College. I am starting to see why it is important that these skills are developed in year 9. By the time students start their NCEA courses they will have developed the skills to enable them to confidently undertake internal assessment tasks, and also cope with external exams. I write this from the perspective of a History/Social Science teacher, which involves not only teaching curriculum content but also the development of lateral thinking and writing skills. I taught senior Sociology and Psychology in the UK and this involved applying strategies – much of what we are trying to incorporate into Aorere –within my planning and teaching to get students to broaden their thinking capabilities. In external exams sociology students were largely assessed on their analytical and evaluative skills, so a great deal of time was spent throughout the year developing these skills. I feel that if that had of been done when the students first started at the school – in this case at year 7 – then they would be well prepared for the demands of GCSE and A Level. So, it would be great to get the ball rolling at Aorere. However, it will take time and, from my experience this year, a lot of patience. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed incorporating ‘think its,’ ‘thinkers keys,’’Blooms’ etc, etc into my own teaching and am amazed when I see how these strategies enable my students to start thinking beyond the boundaries of what they limit themselves to. It’s also a buzz to see them developing confidence when doing this.
Elizabeth O'Hagan
Hi there, until recently I thought blogging and all this ICT stuff was just a little bit over the top and nothing to do with real class room teaching. However, I am now an internet junky!!
I have created several blogs and wikis to help my students with their learning. In many cases it is about helping the students to take responsibility for their own learning. It is having varying degrees of success, but the small successes that I am having are truly major successes for the students who are using these tools.
Below is a taste of what we are doing. Have fun reading and having a look around.
Why is WWI so significant today – nearly 100 years later?World War One began with a minor a...
Student Blogs
These are some good student blogs that are worthwhile having a look at. To look at more, click on my name on their blog and then click on any of the names from the list on the right hand side. My year 10s are the most frequent bloggers. Pallavi
This is a wiki that my Year 10s are going to build collaboratively using web 2.0 tools. I have seen some international wikis being built by students as a part of their course work between Canada, UK, USA, Australia, Bangladesh, and they are really awesome. If people are interested in doing such a project then let me know; I think I would like to start with a local collaborative project :) Have a look at the links to see what you think.
It has been huge learning curve for me looking after the Clearlinks cluster, especially as I was new to the cluster. I have throughly enjoyed working with the three schools and is is great to see a lot of talented and dedicated teachers all working hard to achieve the same goal which is to improve student achievement and make them successful citizens of the future.
Raising the performance of our boys in school had been an issue in the past. However, with the emphasis in using technologies in the classroom there has been some resolve to this problem. The Beta research/study in UK has shown, "The real benefit, though, has been seen through raised levels of attainment, and the use of ICT has enabled boys to catch up with girls, who outperformed them over recent years. “Over the last two years the boys have achieved as well as, if not better than the girls in this school. It’s got to be down significantly to the use of ICT in classrooms right across the curriculum,” (Beta annual Review 2007)
The technology also allows us to create more engaging classrooms. Since technology/ICT/Thinking skills is a whole school issue the change comes not from only from a few individuals but the whole staff. "Technology, however, is different. It’s a ‘whole-school’ issue that, if its power is to be fully harnessed, requires a sea change in the way schools or colleges go about their business." (Beta annual review 2007, UK)
I am looking forward to the combined project that will be operating among the three schools next year and to see as much collaboration as possible among the three schools.
Also looking forward to next years L@schools conference which should be a highlight for term 1 next year.
Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this reflective journal.
One of my challenges next year will be to motivate more staff from the cluster to use and contribute to this space.
Linda Tomlinson
Thursday 22nd November
The lead teacher day has been really useful. Lizz has shown us how to set up and use a wiki, and we have continued discussing plans for a collaborative project next year for junior Social Studies. Also, it was good to hear what the other schools are planning for Geography with the new curriculum next year. Lizz and I also worked on some high order thinking ideas and ICT ideas for Year 12 Geography. It was great to share ideas and I began to see how I could already improve what I was already using.
Tuesday 28th May
ICTPD day was useful. It was great to catch up with Lizz and see some of her amazing work. We created a blog for geography/social studies for collaboration between the three schools, and discussed ideas for a collaborative wiki project with our junior classes for next year. Now I just need some time to put my plans into action!
It has been great to catch up with Lizz. She has shown me heaps of useful ICT stuff to include i...
Lizz Waterfall
Rob Pepping and I had a great morning discussing "big picture" stuff regarding planning in general.
Mary Graham
Norman Hawcroft
Paul Kestra
15 May 07
Hi. I can see the wikispace concept is going to be very powerful, although I expect it to evolve (like everything on the web). I have set up public wikispaces for ncea level 2 and level 3 science. The link takes yo to the page on NZ Geological history, which is an area in which I am reasonably expert. I am hoping that other teachers can add things to the areas I am not so good at.
Priscilla Allan
4th May:
I am working on Scheme Development: Differentiation, ICT and higher order thinking skills in the departments schemes.
The SNP Secondary Numeracy Project is Fantastic. http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/Numeracy/SNP/SNP.aspx
A really neat algebra task comes from: http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/brightsparks/Frogs.asp?applet
it has higher order thinking - differentiation and ICT all in one! Very Cool.
Get the students to record the Jumps by Colour and see the pattern.
2 frogs of each colour: bggbbggb 1-2-2-2-1 which is 4x2 moves $8 prize
3 frogs of each colour: bggbbbgggbbbggb 1-2-3-3-3-2-1 which is 5x3 moves $15 prize
n frogs of each colour: (n+2)xn
I am still trying to get my head around what being an ICTPD lead teacher means - Does it simply mean sharing with others and learning from others? www.mathlinks.co.nz (A year 13 student made this site for me) http://mathlinks.co.nz/webstats/ is also great for students to see real statistics.
18th May:
Elizabeth O'Hagan is doing amazing things! Well Done.
31st May:
Lead Teacher Day. Fantasic. Great sharing of information with Mary. We had time to create our own Wiki https://clearlinks.wikispaces.com/Maths/ and catalog favourite websites on http://del.icio.us/clearlinks/Mathematics A very worthwhile and productive day. I am beginning to understand that being a Lead Teacher is all about us leading others and sharing with each other. I was sort of expected more direction? support? clarity? I think I missed out on a discussion at some stage, perhaps when I was asked to be a Lead Teacher I should have asked what that meant. (Rather than just saying Yes!) I will know to ask next time.
It has been great to catch up with Lizz. She has shown me heaps of useful ICT stuff to include i...
Robb Kidd
I have set up a wikispace for my Year 12 English class. This is primarily to allow them to contribute their ideas on the novel 'Lord of the Flies.' Hopefully they will be able to learn from a range of different perspectives.
The Lead Teacher days were a great success. It was very encouraging to see the Lead Teachers all working together, sharing resources and ideas and looking at strategies and ideas to improve the learning outcomes for their students. I was also delighted to see new wikispaces appearing for student use and to see teachers seeing the benefits of using the web2 tools.
I am putting a link in to the techncea07 wikispace as there is information that will be useful to teachers, particularly, of Information Management, Technology and Computing. I have also added a page for 2008 teacher fellowships as there are e-learning and technology fellowships available - closing date for both are in July so you will need to sharpen your pencils and get going. I am happy to work with anyone who would like to take up either of these excellent opportunities.
Sandy Crump
I found the cluster day very useful - thank you for organising it. I got a lot of info and files from Leeana and Paul and shared some of mine. I also learned how to make a wiki - will definitely get an astronomy one up and going. Excellent use of time being able to 'bounce' of others in my subject area (and ask some dumb questions). I have so much that I am going read and implement. Loved Leeana's 'Thinkits'. Please let us do a cluster meeting again sometime as it was sooo useful. I am working on two ways of differentiating work for classes 1. By making sheets that progressively go up the Bloom's Taxonomy - idea being that those working at remedial level will do the first few Q and the 'core' students will do those and the next few (moving up Bloom's) and the most able will get into the last Q and into the Analyse, Create, Evaluate levels. Some of the other students can attempt the higher level Q but probably with more teacher input. 2. By giving some students in the class the opportunity to do a unit in their own way - by providing a check list and resources (including power points, inspiration, and websites) and allowing them to work at their own pace and order through the unit and marking their own work before getting it signed off with the teacher. They have the option of listening to the teaching or working independently as individuals or in small groups. I have also included a research topic in each of the units I have done this way - again with a choice of topics and being allowed to present it in any way they like. I have used or am using these at year 9 and 10 levels and am thinking about tackling year 12 Chem in a similar way...a bit of thinking to do on that one!
18 October
I really enjoyed the
Ulearn conference
and got a lot out of it - my notes:
Keynote: Ewan McIntosh
Title: ‘The Leading Edge’
He spoke about the 6 spaces that people have access to and challenged us to make room for all spaces in our classrooms – the spaces:
Private – SMS, mobile, IM
Public Spaces:
Group Spaces – facebook, bebo etc
Performing Spaces – 2nd Life
Watching Spaces – concerts, stage, TV
Participation Spaces – publishing and performing
Publishing Spaces – flicker, blogs etc
Another key point that he made is that we need to be willing to takes risks (and risk failure). Teachers that are not willing to take risks don’t but teachers who are willing to have a go win the respect of students. IT is risky – am I willing and able to fail?
Challenges:
Media literacy
Death by IT aversion
Spreading the culture (of risk taking)
Sustainable energy – need to be able to sustain what we introduce
Tony Ryan Title: The Rules of Engagement – How can we develop learning environments that nurture self-directed learning?
Tony is an advocate of marking rubrics and encouraged us to make up our own rubrics from his example.
We can encourage students to make their own rubrics to analyse their own effort and engagement and then mark themselves according to them (or provide one for them to use but they will be more involved if they create it themselves) 4 Hot classroom hints on student engagement:
focus on what is presently working and do more of it
consistently offer the most engaging possible curriculum and pedagogy
encourage self talk and various self regulatory processes at every opportunity
integrate the use of complex computer games/simulations/contemporary ICT into curriculum delivery
What is engagement – how do you know a student is engaged? – Develop self regulatory behaviours by:
– building in regular reflection times
– developing rubrics for specific tasks
– use red light (can’t/won’t) and green light (can do) thinking labels
– Ask – How do you learn best and encourage them to use those modes of learning – use kids version of Multiple Intelligences
Self Regulation – use on task training – they should automatically run through the steps by asking themselves the questions:
1. Step one: What is the task?
2. Step two: Am I on task?
3. Step three: Ignore distractions
4. Step four: Complete the task
What do engaged students look like?
– there is a strong relationship between engagement and achievement
– students can be motivated but not engaged
– there are three main forms of engagement – behavioural/emotional/cognitive
– students are more likely to engage with tasks that are – challenging/interesting/important to them
Engaging Strategies – with an explicit focus on thinking strategies such as:
– graphic organisers
– decision matrices
– rubrics
A consist use of team learning strategies:
– expert jigsaw
– paired interviews
– academic controversy
– doughnut
– see www.tonyryan.com.au for ideas
Gaming is important for learning – you learn more about someone in one hour playing a game than in many hours doing other things – it also challenges you to find solutions and work in teams. Most gaming involves passing through levels and gaining certain items or skills (short term incentives as well as long term incentives)
Some Critical Points:
– Schools with good teacher-student relationships and with high expectations for student successes, have more engaged students
– Technology by itself is not sufficient: the interest level of a task also matters
– One of the most important factors is that students believe that they can succeed
– Teach students how to self talk (checking self regulation) Rosemary Hipkins
Title: What can Curriculum Key Competencies Contribute to Assessment for
Key Competencies are designed to be used in tandem with the curriculum – some in the foreground and others in the background. Key Competencies are intended to bring about a ‘can do’ attitude in students with a the ability to adapt to situations but the Key Competencies themselves are hard to measure and really need to be demonstrated.
Some key points: Students need to
– understand the big ideas as well as the small details
– master systems thinking
– use metacognition
– know the ‘rules of the game’
– weigh facts and not throw the baby out with the bath water
– carry information from one context to another
– develop questioning skills
– carry general information over to developing and answering specific questions in context
– understand and apply the values dimension
– work as a team member
These dispositions can only be demonstrated in action Keynote: Helen Baxter
see online mindmap - from ulearn site
We are teaching inventors – how do you teach inventors??
We need to impart:
– a can do, will do, why not attitude
– a multi-disciplinary approach
– the idea of pathways not destinations
– the use of tools and spaces as needed Jeremy Kedian
Title: Learning – the best kept secret
Question – what IS learning?
– NOT dependence but interdependence
– empowering
– the core activity of schools
Effective learning is:
– reflection
– risk taking
– intelligent failure and trying again
– short and long term goals
– energising
Students should be able to appraise their own work and report on what they have done, what they could have done better and what they will be doing next.
Teacher Reflection Questions:
What does a learning centred classroom look like?
How might my teaching change?
What will I need to do first?
What are the critical success factors for learning centred classroom?
What problems can I anticipate?
What support will I need from school leadership?
Tony Ryan
Title: Innovation 2020 – What is needed for learners to develop as innovators and knowledge builders?
Thinkers Keys:
Teach the thinkers keys in the context of learning (not in isolation)
Use thinkers keys in contexts that best support/ resolve a learning task
Developing Innovative Solutions
The Info Key – research all background info
The Question Key – what is the REAL problem (is it what you originally thought?) – transform it into a question or questions..
The brainstorm key
The decision key – use a decision matrix
The action key- flow charts, social justice charts
Allsorts in the Classroom –strategies to use with white boards
Interesting presentation – many ideas for use with active whiteboards but mostly primary focussed Trevor Storr Title: Co-constructive learning Using Web2.0
Trevor a technology fellow has researched the logs of his online course in information technology and come to some conclusions but first he gave an introduction/background to the theory of co-construction from Lev Vygotsky through Piaget and Papert and came to some conclusions:
– when we learn alone we confirm our own viewpoints but when we learn by co-construction we become more active, have ownership are more involved, prompt each-other to learn and question - and it is level appropriate (that is at the right level for the learners)
– social software makes the finding of info quick and easy (teenagers will move off if it is not quick)
– the online classroom has the same kinds of learners as does a ‘normal’ classroom – that is the more social, the helpers, the takers, the introverts etc. Karen Boyes
Title: Creating a Habit or Mindfulness with Habits of Mind
Intelligence = the sum of the habits of mind
Persistence is the twin sister or excellence. Persistence is the time factor and excellence is the quality factor.
There are 16 Habits of Mind (developed by Dr Art Costa) but 4 are the main ones associated with academic success:
Persistence
Managing Impulsivity (making the sensible choice) Teachers can encourage this habit by using wait time during questioning and allowing ‘processing time’
Clarity and Precision –explicitly teach the terms of the curriculum and then use them, label thinking processes – don’t dumb down
Metacognition –it can be useful to use Think Aloud Problem Solving
The school environment can support the use of Habits of Mind (or any other strategy) by having mottos on display, recognising use of Habits, having acronyms and encouraging self assessment. Teachers should model what they teach.
‘Who you are speaks so loudly, they can’t hear what you are saying’
-see spectrum education website. Keynote: Tony Ryan – final session Title: Inspiring Classrooms
Tony Ryan encouraged us to choose 3 main ideas/concepts to take away from conference and ask 3 questions:
Will it measurably enhance my teaching/student learning? – How will I measure it?
Will it support my present practices?
Can I pay respect to myself while implementing them? (ie will it burn me out?)
Introducing these things into my practice:
What could I do? (think about the ultimate)
What will I realistically do?
How and when will I do it?
How will I maintain success?
Question: How can I stay inspired throughout ongoing learning?
On three levels- Schools/systems, classrooms, myself Systems
– you should practice abandonment – that is taking something out as you add something else
– remember that you are the system – don’t crap in your own nest (don’t criticise and whinge as you mess it up for yourself and your colleagues
– develop sustainable practices
– create positive attitude (can do) environments Classrooms
– promote intellectual rigour
– encourage inquiry based learning
– be explicit
– help students create solutions – personal/local/global Personal
– What do I do that is truly inspiring?
– What is the score for my attitude?
– What will they say about me when I leave/retire/die?
The other really helpful thing that I picked up from Tony Ryan was a little 'self-regulation' check - I made it into a poster which I had laminated. I have them displayed around my room and two spare laminated ones. I wander up and put them on the desk of students who are off task and it works very well. the detail of the poster are:
Title: Self regulation??? - ownership of thinking Step one: What is the task? Step two: Am I on task? Step three: Ignore distractions Step four: Complete the task
Differentiated Learning
During this year I have been experimenting with individualised learning - by this I mean that I have developed whole lesson sequences/units where all of the tasks are listed under topics with some web based work as well as practical and written work. Students are given a deadline and the option of completing the tasks in any order as long as each topic was done as a whole and signed off by me as they go. I provide answers and they mark their own work. I have three networked computers in my room which they have access to. Students can choose to do practical first or written or a mixture of both and there is also an element of choice in the activities. Students are allowed to work individually or in small groups as long as they get me to sign each topic off (after marking their own work). We then do whole class revision and the test.
Students have responded positively to this - they enjoy the element of choice. Some find the lack of structure un-nerving at first but get used to it. I have compromised by writing some notes on the board for lessons and they choose whether or not to copy them down. Behaviour management is easier (more are on task and self regulating) and marks in tests have improved.
In a mixed ability class the more able help the others and I insist that they ask 3 people before me so that I am not busy answering silly questions about where something is or how to do something simple and can be available for deeper thinking questions. I first introduced my mixed ability class to this learning style by selecting 12 self directed students to study independently at the back of the room - then the others saw it as a reward and were keen to try the next unit that way.
As a teacher it takes some preparation and organisation (especially in practical units) but it is definitely worth it - as the unit draws to an end you get busier as some don't time manage well. Students are expected to do some of the work at home and organise themselves but I cue them and push them along by saying how much they should have finished by now. I have been thrilled to see other teachers decide to try it in my dept - and enjoy the results. Now in some units we have separate differentiated sequences for mixed ability and high ability classes.I am happy to share ideas and lesson sequences with anyone (my subject is Science) - contact me on scrump@glendowie-college.school.nz
Tanya Phillips
I have had my blog and wiki up and running for almost a term now. The kids are loving using it to retrieve notes and other information from home. I am having trouble getting them to use the blog as much as I would like. The main problem is computer access. I need to get them into the computer rooms a few times more before it will start to become a habit. Then hopefully, they will be into blogging from home!
5 Dec 2007
Looking back on the 2007 school year, the foremost thing in my mind is "Where has this year gone!" Yet, when I make myself stop and think about it, we have accomplished a great deal this year. Our teaching staff had several weeks of PD time to work on adding Thinking Skills, ICT Integration and Differetiation notations into all our Schemes of Work. Allowing the teachers these hours of PD time to work on the schemes gave everyone a huge 'jump start' on what is a rather daunting task. A lot of productive work was accomplished during this time allowance, and although some of us still have a great deal of work yet to do, I think we all feel confident enough to complete the task before us.
Another ICT related accomplishment in the 2007 school year was an increased and improved use of our LMS system. Although it is only indirectly related to the ClearLinks goals, most of our LMS lead teachers are the same personnel as our ClearLinks lead teachers. This group of teachers, especially Sandy Crump, Priscilla Allan and George McKie, put a great deal of time and effort into the creation of class sites within our GC Net (intranet) environment. Again the teachers were given some PD time to add content to these class sites, and what some of the teachers have done is amazing. We have had the MindSpring intranet facility at our disposal since 2004, yet this is the first year that ALL of the teaching staff have been really involved in uploading curriculum related content for use by the students. Again...the fact that people were given TIME to work on this tool proved to be just the impetus needed to get everyone familiar and excited about the value of an LMS. Unfortunately, we have recently been informed that MindSpring is no longer going to be supported by the MoE. Fortunately, however, the 'replacement' LMS that Glendowie College will move to is still the same Microsoft platform as MindSpring, only an updated and more 'grunty' version. Thank goodness all the time and energy that has been devoted to the MindSpring LMS content will be converted over to the new Scholaris LMS! It would be a huge disappointment if all the training and content development had been all for naught (the term REVOLT keeps popping into my head for some reason!)
The cluster's original facilitator, Rosemary Wheeler, was replaced mid-year by Sylvia Singh. Sylvia has been a delight to work with during the last half of the year, and I am looking forward to spending more time with her in 2008. She is always helpful, understanding and well-organised and will no doubt continue to provide a highly commendable facilitation of moving the three cluster schools along the pathway to becoming 21st century educators! July 2007
The 2007 Term 2 lead teacher day was one of the most valuable I have had (even though I was only there for a portion of it). A BIG thanks to Rosemary for making the arrangements and providing the delicious morning tea. Allowing the lead teachers to, for the most part, set their own agenda in curriculum groups was a brilliant idea. I certainly hope that will occur again during the course of the contract.
I spent the day working with Anglea from Aorere, and the resources she shared with me will be such a big help in my planning and teaching. I have been wanting to spend time absorbing knowledge from Angela since BEFORE we actually had a recognised cluster because I had a feeling she would be a very good 'font of knowledge' for my subject area. I was not wrong, and I am very grateful to her.
Rosemary's enthusiasm for the social software she has been sharing with us is delightful...I just wish I had the time (and the energy) to spend utilising it!
I have created an Information and Communication wiki space for Angela and I to share resources on during the future. (Big thank you to Sandy who helped me get the linking right after several failed attempts!
AJ Scorringe
Angela White
Kaiora All,
The Tech Masters are a group on Y9 and 10 students who are keen on all matters ICT and are willing to work with teachers and students and pass on their knowledge. They have been invaluable to me in our ICT Professional Learning sessions by working one to one with teachers. They are also used school wide as a type of 'flying squad' called on when problems need solving. One teacher had problems with video editing and file formats and this was sorted in a day by a tech master who was able recommend a suitable software program. We hope to build the numbers next year.
I feel generally that most staff are on the brink on really flying with thinking skills and ict. (Some are already flying) They are realising that well planned units/lessons with integrated activities using thinkings strategies and ict make a real difference to student engagement. We all know the issues and our challenge is to make sure we support staff to continue on the journey.
We are developing WOFs in ICT and Thinking Skills to further support staff skill development - this will be part of our PL programme for next year. We are also developing a student WOF of ICT skills to establish a baseline of student skills at Y9 & 10.
We are part of an E4E cluster (Education for Enterprise - see TKI) about creating and engaging students in authentic learning experiences by developing community and business partnerships. Being part of this has provided some excellent learning opps. Just what the technology curriculum has always sought.
Anne Rolinson
Cherise Stone
Hi there, I haven't created anything and am still exploring the sites etc available and when I'm less overwhelmed I'll make a wikisite for Drama. I am in awe of Lizz's wikispaces.
Chris Lynch
Today is Monday 28th May and am at Epsom getting a better understanding of developing ICT in the classroom
TERM 4 - Thursday 22nd November.
I have been asked to write a reflection on the year in relation to my involvement with the development of ICT and thinking skills at Aorere College. I am starting to see why it is important that these skills are developed in year 9. By the time students start their NCEA courses they will have developed the skills to enable them to confidently undertake internal assessment tasks, and also cope with external exams. I write this from the perspective of a History/Social Science teacher, which involves not only teaching curriculum content but also the development of lateral thinking and writing skills. I taught senior Sociology and Psychology in the UK and this involved applying strategies – much of what we are trying to incorporate into Aorere –within my planning and teaching to get students to broaden their thinking capabilities. In external exams sociology students were largely assessed on their analytical and evaluative skills, so a great deal of time was spent throughout the year developing these skills. I feel that if that had of been done when the students first started at the school – in this case at year 7 – then they would be well prepared for the demands of GCSE and A Level. So, it would be great to get the ball rolling at Aorere. However, it will take time and, from my experience this year, a lot of patience. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed incorporating ‘think its,’ ‘thinkers keys,’’Blooms’ etc, etc into my own teaching and am amazed when I see how these strategies enable my students to start thinking beyond the boundaries of what they limit themselves to. It’s also a buzz to see them developing confidence when doing this.
Elizabeth O'Hagan
Hi there, until recently I thought blogging and all this ICT stuff was just a little bit over the top and nothing to do with real class room teaching. However, I am now an internet junky!!
I have created several blogs and wikis to help my students with their learning. In many cases it is about helping the students to take responsibility for their own learning. It is having varying degrees of success, but the small successes that I am having are truly major successes for the students who are using these tools.
Below is a taste of what we are doing. Have fun reading and having a look around.
My blogs
Crazy Teacher Alert
Classblogmeister - My school blog
Class Blogs
Level 2 Geography Notes
Level 1 Geography Notes
Year 10 Social Studies Notes
Year 9 Social Studies Notes
Student Blogs
These are some good student blogs that are worthwhile having a look at. To look at more, click on my name on their blog and then click on any of the names from the list on the right hand side. My year 10s are the most frequent bloggers.
Pallavi
Zaynah
Pasa
Clearlinks Blog
Social Sciences Clearlinks Blog
My wikis
http://finkspace.wikispaces.com/
- This wiki is used like an intranet. There is information about topics that students are studying, homework, assignments etc.
http://geographybylizz.wikispaces.com/- This is againg used by my Geography students like an intranet. They can use it to extend themselves, or sometimes I use it as class activities.
http://treatyortrick.wikispaces.com/Collaborative Projects around the world
Sylvia Singh
It has been huge learning curve for me looking after the Clearlinks cluster, especially as I was new to the cluster. I have throughly enjoyed working with the three schools and is is great to see a lot of talented and dedicated teachers all working hard to achieve the same goal which is to improve student achievement and make them successful citizens of the future.
Raising the performance of our boys in school had been an issue in the past. However, with the emphasis in using technologies in the classroom there has been some resolve to this problem. The Beta research/study in UK has shown, "The real benefit, though, has been seen through raised levels of attainment, and the use of ICT has enabled boys to catch up with girls, who outperformed them over recent years. “Over the last two years the boys have achieved as well as, if not better than the girls in this school. It’s got to be down significantly to the use of ICT in classrooms right across the curriculum,” (Beta annual Review 2007)
The technology also allows us to create more engaging classrooms. Since technology/ICT/Thinking skills is a whole school issue the change comes not from only from a few individuals but the whole staff. "Technology, however, is different. It’s a ‘whole-school’ issue that, if its power is to be fully harnessed, requires a sea change in the way schools or colleges go about their business." (Beta annual review 2007, UK)
I am looking forward to the combined project that will be operating among the three schools next year and to see as much collaboration as possible among the three schools.
Also looking forward to next years L@schools conference which should be a highlight for term 1 next year.
Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this reflective journal.
One of my challenges next year will be to motivate more staff from the cluster to use and contribute to this space.
Linda Tomlinson
Thursday 22nd November
The lead teacher day has been really useful. Lizz has shown us how to set up and use a wiki, and we have continued discussing plans for a collaborative project next year for junior Social Studies. Also, it was good to hear what the other schools are planning for Geography with the new curriculum next year. Lizz and I also worked on some high order thinking ideas and ICT ideas for Year 12 Geography. It was great to share ideas and I began to see how I could already improve what I was already using.
Tuesday 28th May
ICTPD day was useful. It was great to catch up with Lizz and see some of her amazing work. We created a blog for geography/social studies for collaboration between the three schools, and discussed ideas for a collaborative wiki project with our junior classes for next year. Now I just need some time to put my plans into action!
Social Sciences Clearlinks Blog
Lizz Waterfall
Rob Pepping and I had a great morning discussing "big picture" stuff regarding planning in general.
Mary Graham
Norman Hawcroft
Paul Kestra
15 May 07
Hi. I can see the wikispace concept is going to be very powerful, although I expect it to evolve (like everything on the web). I have set up public wikispaces for ncea level 2 and level 3 science. The link takes yo to the page on NZ Geological history, which is an area in which I am reasonably expert. I am hoping that other teachers can add things to the areas I am not so good at.
Priscilla Allan
4th May:
I am working on Scheme Development: Differentiation, ICT and higher order thinking skills in the departments schemes.
The SNP Secondary Numeracy Project is Fantastic.
http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/Numeracy/SNP/SNP.aspx
A really neat algebra task comes from:
http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/brightsparks/Frogs.asp?applet
it has higher order thinking - differentiation and ICT all in one! Very Cool.
Get the students to record the Jumps by Colour and see the pattern.
2 frogs of each colour: bggbbggb 1-2-2-2-1 which is 4x2 moves $8 prize
3 frogs of each colour: bggbbbgggbbbggb 1-2-3-3-3-2-1 which is 5x3 moves $15 prize
n frogs of each colour: (n+2)xn
I am still trying to get my head around what being an ICTPD lead teacher means - Does it simply mean sharing with others and learning from others?
www.mathlinks.co.nz (A year 13 student made this site for me)
http://mathlinks.co.nz/webstats/ is also great for students to see real statistics.
18th May:
Elizabeth O'Hagan is doing amazing things! Well Done.
31st May:
Lead Teacher Day. Fantasic. Great sharing of information with Mary. We had time to create our own Wiki https://clearlinks.wikispaces.com/Maths/ and catalog favourite websites on http://del.icio.us/clearlinks/Mathematics A very worthwhile and productive day. I am beginning to understand that being a Lead Teacher is all about us leading others and sharing with each other. I was sort of expected more direction? support? clarity? I think I missed out on a discussion at some stage, perhaps when I was asked to be a Lead Teacher I should have asked what that meant. (Rather than just saying Yes!) I will know to ask next time.
Rob Pepping
Rob Wisnewski
heehehee we did this for you:)
Social Sciences Clearlinks Blog
Robb Kidd
I have set up a wikispace for my Year 12 English class. This is primarily to allow them to contribute their ideas on the novel 'Lord of the Flies.' Hopefully they will be able to learn from a range of different perspectives.
http://shcyr12english.wikispaces.com
Rosemary Wheeler
The Lead Teacher days were a great success. It was very encouraging to see the Lead Teachers all working together, sharing resources and ideas and looking at strategies and ideas to improve the learning outcomes for their students. I was also delighted to see new wikispaces appearing for student use and to see teachers seeing the benefits of using the web2 tools.
I am putting a link in to the techncea07 wikispace as there is information that will be useful to teachers, particularly, of Information Management, Technology and Computing. I have also added a page for 2008 teacher fellowships as there are e-learning and technology fellowships available - closing date for both are in July so you will need to sharpen your pencils and get going. I am happy to work with anyone who would like to take up either of these excellent opportunities.
Sandy Crump
I found the cluster day very useful - thank you for organising it. I got a lot of info and files from Leeana and Paul and shared some of mine. I also learned how to make a wiki - will definitely get an astronomy one up and going. Excellent use of time being able to 'bounce' of others in my subject area (and ask some dumb questions). I have so much that I am going read and implement. Loved Leeana's 'Thinkits'. Please let us do a cluster meeting again sometime as it was sooo useful. I am working on two ways of differentiating work for classes 1. By making sheets that progressively go up the Bloom's Taxonomy - idea being that those working at remedial level will do the first few Q and the 'core' students will do those and the next few (moving up Bloom's) and the most able will get into the last Q and into the Analyse, Create, Evaluate levels. Some of the other students can attempt the higher level Q but probably with more teacher input. 2. By giving some students in the class the opportunity to do a unit in their own way - by providing a check list and resources (including power points, inspiration, and websites) and allowing them to work at their own pace and order through the unit and marking their own work before getting it signed off with the teacher. They have the option of listening to the teaching or working independently as individuals or in small groups. I have also included a research topic in each of the units I have done this way - again with a choice of topics and being allowed to present it in any way they like. I have used or am using these at year 9 and 10 levels and am thinking about tackling year 12 Chem in a similar way...a bit of thinking to do on that one!
18 October
I really enjoyed the
Ulearn conference
and got a lot out of it - my notes:Keynote: Ewan McIntosh
Title: ‘The Leading Edge’
He spoke about the 6 spaces that people have access to and challenged us to make room for all spaces in our classrooms – the spaces:
- Private – SMS, mobile, IM
Public Spaces:- Group Spaces – facebook, bebo etc
- Performing Spaces – 2nd Life
- Watching Spaces – concerts, stage, TV
- Participation Spaces – publishing and performing
- Publishing Spaces – flicker, blogs etc
Another key point that he made is that we need to be willing to takes risks (and risk failure). Teachers that are not willing to take risks don’t but teachers who are willing to have a go win the respect of students. IT is risky – am I willing and able to fail?Challenges:
- Media literacy
- Death by IT aversion
- Spreading the culture (of risk taking)
- Sustainable energy – need to be able to sustain what we introduce
Tony RyanTitle: The Rules of Engagement – How can we develop learning environments that nurture self-directed learning?
Tony is an advocate of marking rubrics and encouraged us to make up our own rubrics from his example.
We can encourage students to make their own rubrics to analyse their own effort and engagement and then mark themselves according to them (or provide one for them to use but they will be more involved if they create it themselves)
4 Hot classroom hints on student engagement:
- focus on what is presently working and do more of it
- consistently offer the most engaging possible curriculum and pedagogy
- encourage self talk and various self regulatory processes at every opportunity
- integrate the use of complex computer games/simulations/contemporary ICT into curriculum delivery
What is engagement – how do you know a student is engaged? – Develop self regulatory behaviours by:– building in regular reflection times
– developing rubrics for specific tasks
– use red light (can’t/won’t) and green light (can do) thinking labels
– Ask – How do you learn best and encourage them to use those modes of learning – use kids version of Multiple Intelligences
Self Regulation – use on task training – they should automatically run through the steps by asking themselves the questions:
1. Step one: What is the task?
2. Step two: Am I on task?
3. Step three: Ignore distractions
4. Step four: Complete the task
What do engaged students look like?
– there is a strong relationship between engagement and achievement
– students can be motivated but not engaged
– there are three main forms of engagement – behavioural/emotional/cognitive
– students are more likely to engage with tasks that are – challenging/interesting/important to them
Engaging Strategies – with an explicit focus on thinking strategies such as:
– graphic organisers
– decision matrices
– rubrics
A consist use of team learning strategies:
– expert jigsaw
– paired interviews
– academic controversy
– doughnut
– see www.tonyryan.com.au for ideas
Gaming is important for learning – you learn more about someone in one hour playing a game than in many hours doing other things – it also challenges you to find solutions and work in teams. Most gaming involves passing through levels and gaining certain items or skills (short term incentives as well as long term incentives)
Some Critical Points:
– Schools with good teacher-student relationships and with high expectations for student successes, have more engaged students
– Technology by itself is not sufficient: the interest level of a task also matters
– One of the most important factors is that students believe that they can succeed
– Teach students how to self talk (checking self regulation)
Rosemary Hipkins
Title: What can Curriculum Key Competencies Contribute to Assessment for
Key Competencies are designed to be used in tandem with the curriculum – some in the foreground and others in the background. Key Competencies are intended to bring about a ‘can do’ attitude in students with a the ability to adapt to situations but the Key Competencies themselves are hard to measure and really need to be demonstrated.
Some key points: Students need to
– understand the big ideas as well as the small details
– master systems thinking
– use metacognition
– know the ‘rules of the game’
– weigh facts and not throw the baby out with the bath water
– carry information from one context to another
– develop questioning skills
– carry general information over to developing and answering specific questions in context
– understand and apply the values dimension
– work as a team member
These dispositions can only be demonstrated in action
Keynote: Helen Baxter
see online mindmap - from ulearn site
We are teaching inventors – how do you teach inventors??
We need to impart:
– a can do, will do, why not attitude
– a multi-disciplinary approach
– the idea of pathways not destinations
– the use of tools and spaces as needed
Jeremy Kedian
Title: Learning – the best kept secret
Question – what IS learning?
– NOT dependence but interdependence
– empowering
– the core activity of schools
Effective learning is:
– reflection
– risk taking
– intelligent failure and trying again
– short and long term goals
– energising
Students should be able to appraise their own work and report on what they have done, what they could have done better and what they will be doing next.
Teacher Reflection Questions:
- What does a learning centred classroom look like?
- How might my teaching change?
- What will I need to do first?
- What are the critical success factors for learning centred classroom?
- What problems can I anticipate?
- What support will I need from school leadership?
Tony RyanTitle: Innovation 2020 – What is needed for learners to develop as innovators and knowledge builders?
Thinkers Keys:
- Teach the thinkers keys in the context of learning (not in isolation)
- Use thinkers keys in contexts that best support/ resolve a learning task
Developing Innovative Solutions- The Info Key – research all background info
- The Question Key – what is the REAL problem (is it what you originally thought?) – transform it into a question or questions..
- The brainstorm key
- The decision key – use a decision matrix
- The action key- flow charts, social justice charts
see www.tonyryan.com.au for more info in keysThis process can and should be used to solve real life situations/challenges making learning real and relevant.
other useful websites:
www.97.intel.com/en/ProjectDesign/Design/
http://education.qld.gov.au/corporatenewbasics/html/pedagogies/intellect/int.html
Marnie Etheridge
Allsorts in the Classroom –strategies to use with white boards
Interesting presentation – many ideas for use with active whiteboards but mostly primary focussed
Trevor Storr
Title: Co-constructive learning Using Web2.0
Trevor a technology fellow has researched the logs of his online course in information technology and come to some conclusions but first he gave an introduction/background to the theory of co-construction from Lev Vygotsky through Piaget and Papert and came to some conclusions:
– when we learn alone we confirm our own viewpoints but when we learn by co-construction we become more active, have ownership are more involved, prompt each-other to learn and question - and it is level appropriate (that is at the right level for the learners)
– social software makes the finding of info quick and easy (teenagers will move off if it is not quick)
– the online classroom has the same kinds of learners as does a ‘normal’ classroom – that is the more social, the helpers, the takers, the introverts etc.
Karen Boyes
Title: Creating a Habit or Mindfulness with Habits of Mind
Intelligence = the sum of the habits of mind
Persistence is the twin sister or excellence. Persistence is the time factor and excellence is the quality factor.
There are 16 Habits of Mind (developed by Dr Art Costa) but 4 are the main ones associated with academic success:
- Persistence
- Managing Impulsivity (making the sensible choice) Teachers can encourage this habit by using wait time during questioning and allowing ‘processing time’
- Clarity and Precision –explicitly teach the terms of the curriculum and then use them, label thinking processes – don’t dumb down
- Metacognition –it can be useful to use Think Aloud Problem Solving
The school environment can support the use of Habits of Mind (or any other strategy) by having mottos on display, recognising use of Habits, having acronyms and encouraging self assessment. Teachers should model what they teach.‘Who you are speaks so loudly, they can’t hear what you are saying’
-see spectrum education website.
Keynote: Tony Ryan – final session
Title: Inspiring Classrooms
Tony Ryan encouraged us to choose 3 main ideas/concepts to take away from conference and ask 3 questions:
- Will it measurably enhance my teaching/student learning? – How will I measure it?
- Will it support my present practices?
- Can I pay respect to myself while implementing them? (ie will it burn me out?)
Introducing these things into my practice:- What could I do? (think about the ultimate)
- What will I realistically do?
- How and when will I do it?
- How will I maintain success?
Question: How can I stay inspired throughout ongoing learning?On three levels- Schools/systems, classrooms, myself
Systems
– you should practice abandonment – that is taking something out as you add something else
– remember that you are the system – don’t crap in your own nest (don’t criticise and whinge as you mess it up for yourself and your colleagues
– develop sustainable practices
– create positive attitude (can do) environments
Classrooms
– promote intellectual rigour
– encourage inquiry based learning
– be explicit
– help students create solutions – personal/local/global
Personal
– What do I do that is truly inspiring?
– What is the score for my attitude?
– What will they say about me when I leave/retire/die?
The other really helpful thing that I picked up from Tony Ryan was a little 'self-regulation' check - I made it into a poster which I had laminated. I have them displayed around my room and two spare laminated ones. I wander up and put them on the desk of students who are off task and it works very well. the detail of the poster are:
Title: Self regulation??? - ownership of thinking
Step one: What is the task?
Step two: Am I on task?
Step three: Ignore distractions
Step four: Complete the task
Differentiated Learning
During this year I have been experimenting with individualised learning - by this I mean that I have developed whole lesson sequences/units where all of the tasks are listed under topics with some web based work as well as practical and written work. Students are given a deadline and the option of completing the tasks in any order as long as each topic was done as a whole and signed off by me as they go. I provide answers and they mark their own work. I have three networked computers in my room which they have access to. Students can choose to do practical first or written or a mixture of both and there is also an element of choice in the activities. Students are allowed to work individually or in small groups as long as they get me to sign each topic off (after marking their own work). We then do whole class revision and the test.
Students have responded positively to this - they enjoy the element of choice. Some find the lack of structure un-nerving at first but get used to it. I have compromised by writing some notes on the board for lessons and they choose whether or not to copy them down. Behaviour management is easier (more are on task and self regulating) and marks in tests have improved.
In a mixed ability class the more able help the others and I insist that they ask 3 people before me so that I am not busy answering silly questions about where something is or how to do something simple and can be available for deeper thinking questions. I first introduced my mixed ability class to this learning style by selecting 12 self directed students to study independently at the back of the room - then the others saw it as a reward and were keen to try the next unit that way.
As a teacher it takes some preparation and organisation (especially in practical units) but it is definitely worth it - as the unit draws to an end you get busier as some don't time manage well. Students are expected to do some of the work at home and organise themselves but I cue them and push them along by saying how much they should have finished by now. I have been thrilled to see other teachers decide to try it in my dept - and enjoy the results. Now in some units we have separate differentiated sequences for mixed ability and high ability classes.I am happy to share ideas and lesson sequences with anyone (my subject is Science) - contact me on scrump@glendowie-college.school.nz
Tanya Phillips
I have had my blog and wiki up and running for almost a term now. The kids are loving using it to retrieve notes and other information from home. I am having trouble getting them to use the blog as much as I would like. The main problem is computer access. I need to get them into the computer rooms a few times more before it will start to become a habit. Then hopefully, they will be into blogging from home!
http://englishdepartment.wikispaces.com/
Vicki Mercer
5 Dec 2007
Looking back on the 2007 school year, the foremost thing in my mind is "Where has this year gone!" Yet, when I make myself stop and think about it, we have accomplished a great deal this year. Our teaching staff had several weeks of PD time to work on adding Thinking Skills, ICT Integration and Differetiation notations into all our Schemes of Work. Allowing the teachers these hours of PD time to work on the schemes gave everyone a huge 'jump start' on what is a rather daunting task. A lot of productive work was accomplished during this time allowance, and although some of us still have a great deal of work yet to do, I think we all feel confident enough to complete the task before us.
Another ICT related accomplishment in the 2007 school year was an increased and improved use of our LMS system. Although it is only indirectly related to the ClearLinks goals, most of our LMS lead teachers are the same personnel as our ClearLinks lead teachers. This group of teachers, especially Sandy Crump, Priscilla Allan and George McKie, put a great deal of time and effort into the creation of class sites within our GC Net (intranet) environment. Again the teachers were given some PD time to add content to these class sites, and what some of the teachers have done is amazing. We have had the MindSpring intranet facility at our disposal since 2004, yet this is the first year that ALL of the teaching staff have been really involved in uploading curriculum related content for use by the students. Again...the fact that people were given TIME to work on this tool proved to be just the impetus needed to get everyone familiar and excited about the value of an LMS. Unfortunately, we have recently been informed that MindSpring is no longer going to be supported by the MoE. Fortunately, however, the 'replacement' LMS that Glendowie College will move to is still the same Microsoft platform as MindSpring, only an updated and more 'grunty' version. Thank goodness all the time and energy that has been devoted to the MindSpring LMS content will be converted over to the new Scholaris LMS! It would be a huge disappointment if all the training and content development had been all for naught (the term REVOLT keeps popping into my head for some reason!)
The cluster's original facilitator, Rosemary Wheeler, was replaced mid-year by Sylvia Singh. Sylvia has been a delight to work with during the last half of the year, and I am looking forward to spending more time with her in 2008. She is always helpful, understanding and well-organised and will no doubt continue to provide a highly commendable facilitation of moving the three cluster schools along the pathway to becoming 21st century educators!
July 2007
The 2007 Term 2 lead teacher day was one of the most valuable I have had (even though I was only there for a portion of it). A BIG thanks to Rosemary for making the arrangements and providing the delicious morning tea. Allowing the lead teachers to, for the most part, set their own agenda in curriculum groups was a brilliant idea. I certainly hope that will occur again during the course of the contract.
I spent the day working with Anglea from Aorere, and the resources she shared with me will be such a big help in my planning and teaching. I have been wanting to spend time absorbing knowledge from Angela since BEFORE we actually had a recognised cluster because I had a feeling she would be a very good 'font of knowledge' for my subject area. I was not wrong, and I am very grateful to her.
Rosemary's enthusiasm for the social software she has been sharing with us is delightful...I just wish I had the time (and the energy) to spend utilising it!
I have created an Information and Communication wiki space for Angela and I to share resources on during the future. (Big thank you to Sandy who helped me get the linking right after several failed attempts!